To get a good understanding of where the oil comes from, the students grew soybeans and discussed how the crops produce soybean seeds that can be crushed to make vegetable oil.

Next, it was time to make some biodiesel!

Vegetable oil, lye, and methanol were procured and the methanol & lye mixture was made up into methoxide. Next, student used small sealable 16 oz water bottles to heat the vegetable oil up in a microwave. A big focus of the project was on safety, so students were required to use gloves and protective eye wear throughout the project.

Methoxide was then added to each students bottle and the mixing commenced!

Once everything was mixed, all the small bottles were dumped into a larger sealable container.

Next came settling! The glycerin slowly settled out of the biodiesel produced and was drained off and removed.

After the glycerin was removed it was time for washing the fuel! Some of the biodiesel underwent a water wash while the rest went through a simple dry wash using oak saw dust to remove the remaining soap!

Next, the fuel underwent testing for any remaining soap using the Shake-Em Up Test.

Once the fuel was complete, it was added to a diesel powered lawn tractor and the clean, renewable biodiesel helped to mow the lawn!

Teacher Kurt Wertman believes the program was a huge success as it introduced students to something they’d never seen before! Biodiesel! He said the kids really enjoyed the project and said that before they started, some of the students didn’t even know the difference between a gas or diesel engine but now they were making a green, alternative fuel , understood how diesel engines worked, and had some real hands on experience working with this great alternative fuel!

In addition to the project, the students learned the basics of agriculture with seed growing and had a chance to see the end result of all the hard work farmers put in (namely a renewable fuel that could fuel the schools tractor!) They also had a chance to work with math in figuring out the formula’s for making the biodiesel, learned some basic chemistry, and also had a lot of fun!

We want to give a heartfelt congratulations to Warrior Run Middle School and to teacher Kurt Wertman for the great work they’re doing in teaching students about this exciting renewable fuel!

About Utah Biodiesel Supply

Utah Biodiesel Supply is an industry leader in offering innovative ways to empower our customers to produce Biodiesel. From free online instructional videos on how to get started making this great renewable fuel to promotional items to help our customers proclaim their energy independence, Utah Biodiesel Supply has it covered. With the widest selection available of Biodiesel equipment, supplies, and promotional items, you're sure to learn something new about Biodiesel every time you visit.

This is very good initiative for technical schools to encourage their students to participate in school activities and excel in their chosen careers. School is our students second home. It is only right to choose a technical school that offers utah technology program that students can benefit from.

Kurt,
Excellent blog project! Great to see these young students encouraged to learn these important topics!! Great diagram of the distribution cycle of plants to earth to water to air!!
Especially the NITROGEN CYCLE!!!!